1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a probe system and, more particularly to a stackable probe system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Probing systems have been used widely in many industries for testing and measurement of devices, such as printed circuit boards and semiconductor wafers. Conventional probing systems are typically customized for specific types of applications with size and configuration limitations. For example, a probing system that is designed for testing small printed circuit boards most likely becomes useless when the circuit boards to be tested exceed a size limitation. A new costly probing system is thus required for large circuit boards.
A prior art modular probe system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,764,079 contemplates the use of mounting base plates, various mechanical components, and quick-release connectors in order to address the aforesaid problems. However, reconfiguration of such a prior art modular probe system needs a period of about 60 minutes to change from one configuration to a different one. Additionally, this prior art system is unable to support backplanes or motherboards for vertical probing.
Another prior art probe system employs Lego-type modular pieces, which are interconnected through special matching mechanical connection elements. This type of systems is not suitable for probing systems requiring tight tolerance in a gm range.